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Downtown lights up for holidays
The downtown portion of Fort Scott is in the process of getting a holiday face-lift.
According to Cheryl Adamson, the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Downtown Division Executive Chair, Manneco, an Independence, Mo. based company, arrived in Fort Scott on Tuesday to begin a Christmas light renovation in downtown Fort Scott.
The Christmas light project, Adamson said, is being financed with funds raised by the Downtown Division through various community events and fundraisers. The new Christmas lights will help the downtown area look beautiful and uniform not only during the holiday season, but at various other times throughout the year, according to Adamson. Adding that, the intent is to use the lights to light up downtown Fort Scott during the holidays, in addition to turning them on during special events such as the Taste of Home and the Festival Italiano, as well as during other special events that occur.
According to Manneco owner Hoot Mann, about 1,300 feet of new Christmas lights are being strung in downtown Fort Scott this week. In addition, Mann and his crew will be servicing 2,500 feet of lights that are already in place on downtown buildings. Once in place, the lights will line most of the buildings on Main Street from Citizen's National Bank to Skubitz Plaza. Many of the buildings on Wall Street from the Chamber building to National Avenue will also be glowing with the new strands of lights.
Adamson said she hopes the new lights will help draw attention to the downtown shopping district, and would like to increase the amount of lights lining the buildings in the years to come.
"I'm really proud of the Downtown Division being able to get the lights up and would like to expand in the future," she said.
Completion of the Christmas lights and the StreetScape project will add to the beauty of the downtown area, Adamson said. Various city committees have been working together to make the holiday season special, according to Adamson. Plans are being made to kick off the holiday season in the downtown area. In an attempt to capture the whimsical spirit of Christmas, Adamson said, various activities will be conducted downtown on the day of the Christmas parade. Part of the events will include the lighting of the downtown Christmas lights in a similar fashion to the celebration that happens on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo.
The Christmas light project is just one of the many ventures of the Downtown Division, which was created to promote the downtown area through fundraisers and various events. In addition, the Downtown Division events help enhance the business of downtown merchants, according to Adamson.